Photo by Ihor OINUA on Unsplash

War represents a breakdown in relationships, when rational discourse is no longer welcomed. It stands in contrast to the hope and renewal associated with Easter. 

War—on a scale the world hasn’t experienced in years—is all over the news and grips the senses. Winston Churchill, no stranger to war himself, famously remarked that “nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result.” Not much is left to the imagination anymore, now that soldiers can record carnage and report it on social media.

Beyond the violence, war confronts us with fundamental God-related matters such as life and death, what really counts, what really lasts, and right and wrong. We are confronted at the moral level especially when atrocities are committed, but war itself is always an atrocity that can be laid at the feet of someone or some group.

When tyranny raises its head, we should oppose it and support freedom. My prayer and hope are that the forces of evil will be defeated, those guilty of it will be brought to justice in this world (as well as the next), and the affected peoples and nations will one day be reconciled.